July Extra: Quick Tips for Marketing Landscape Lighting Services

Night lighting is a unique addition to the green industry, which is why contractors need to market the service differently than other traditional work. Here are some quick tips for effectively selling landscape lighting services:

            Quick Tip #1: Demonstration kits can work as a marketing tool, but they’re not always feasible, according to Chuck Hoover, vice president of sales for landscape lighting manufacturer Rockscapes, Chatsworth, Calif. “When I first got involved with it, a lot of people would say the only way you sell landscape lighting is to do demos at night,” Hoover says. “Well, if I’m a contractor and I’ve worked all day, I’m not going to do demos at night, but they do work.”

One tactic that Hoover says has worked for some landscape contractors is leaving cards or doorknob hangers that tell neighbors they’re working on a lighting project down the street. This way, residents in the area can view the work up close.

            Quick Tip #2: Some landscape contractors market their lighting services during certain times of the year. Elite Lawn Irrigation and Maintenance, Rochester Hills, Mich., does most of its mailing toward mid-summer when the days get shorter, says Owner Joe Lendo. However, marketing lighting services on a seasonal basis is not always necessary, Hoover shares.

            “The logic says yes, the reality is no,” Hoover explains. “When they’re on that project, that’s when it should be marketed. It has nothing to do with whether it’s the middle of June or the middle of December. Historically everybody would say the lighting business is October through March. That’s not true anymore. This is a daily business, and we see a huge shift in the market where now it’s an annual business. It’s not a seasonal business at all.”

 The author is associate editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at jkatz@gie.net.